AUTO LETTERS.

Ram Put Muscle In Dodge Truck Sales

April 02, 2000|By Jim Mateja, Tribune Auto Writer.

Q--For years Dodge was an also-ran in the pickup truck market, but with its new bulldog styling it's a more noticeable presence. You see Dodge trucks everywhere. How do Dodge sales compare with Ford and Chevy? M.K., Salt Lake City

A--Also-ran? At one time in the '80s, Dodge considered getting out of the full-size truck market because sales weren't even showing up on the radar screen, insiders said.

The growth has been nothing short of phenomenal since the redesigned Ram pickup went on sale in calendar 1993 as a 1994 model. In '93 sales totaled 95,542 units, with about 36,000 of them the new Ram; the rest, the old Ram. In '94 sales rose to 232,092, in '95 to 271,501, in '96 to 383,960, in '97 to 350,257 . . .

To make a long story short, sales totaled 428,930 in 1999, up from 410,130 in '98. Still a long ways from Ford sales of 869,001 and Chevy, at 644,084, in 1999. But in the '80s, Ram sales were averaging only about 80,000 units annually and will soon reach the 500,000-unit mark annually.

Considering the growth in the truck market in the last five years, imagine where DaimlerChrysler would be without a full-size truck. Hmm. If Chrysler didn't offer a full-size truck, would Daimler have bought it?

The man who decided to update the Ram in 1993 was Lee Iacocca.

Q--There is a way to alert people that a child is trapped in a car trunk. Install a switch under the mat in the trunk. The weight of the child on that switch would set off a buzzer on the outside of the car and start a recording of "child in trunk." You also would need an off switch when loading the trunk with luggage or groceries. Where there's a will, there's a way. J.S., Glenview

A--Where do you put the switch to ensure a child makes contact with it? Where do you put the off switch to ensure the child doesn't hop in and turn the system off before closing the lid? How do you guarantee that the person who used the off switch when loading groceries remembers to turn the switch back on when the groceries are unloaded. What guarantee do you have anyone will hear the "CHILD IN TRUNK" recording. What happens when you place an item in the trunk, it shifts during cornering or hard braking and sets off the "CHILD IN TRUNK" recording while you are driving?

Q--We ordered a 2000 Pontiac Trans Am with Ram Air. Any way to find out how many will be built for 2000? Understand they will be very limited in number. B.C., Clinton, Ia.

A--You are obviously thinking about collectiblity and future value. Pontiac says it plans to produce 8,000 of them, a fairly good number.

Q--In your vehicle reviews, you list wheelbase and length but not height and width. For those of us who are vertically or horizontally challenged by our apartment parking garages, those dimensions would help. D.G., Chicago

A--On occasion height and width are noted in a review. If we listed each dimension, specification, characteristic and feature, not to mention cost/price numbers and future tendencies--from cost as well as frequency of service and maintenance to cost and frequency of periodic maintenance as well as cost and frequency of repairs (and which parts at what time and or mileage limits), insurance costs and trade in/residual lease value) that readers have asked for, there would be no room to say the vehicle is good or bad. We try to point out the good, bad and the ugly and hope the consumer does some of his or her own homework, based on his or her own needs.

Q--Is buying a new model, like a 2000 Mercury Sable, a big risk? T.G., Chicago

A--When a vehicle has undergone a design change, like Sable and its cousin Ford Taurus, without changes to engine/transmission, there's little reason to hold back on buying one. When there's a major redesign plus a new engine and transmission, it usually pays to allow some time for the problems to show up.

Q--When will the new Sears Diehard battery that disables vehicles from starting when you leave your car go on sale? Detroit should make this standard. J.W., Bridgeview

A--The Diehard Security battery went on sale last month at a special introductory price of $149.99 versus the regular price of $169.99. When you buy the battery you get a power remote that you press like the fob on your keychain to disable the battery when you leave and then reactivate it when you get back.